Tropical forests in Africa may be more resilient to future climate change than the Amazon and other regions, scientists at a conference in Britain heard.

The region's surviving tree species have endured a number of climatic catastrophes over the past 4,000 years and as a result they are better suited to cope with future shifts in the climate, Yadvinder Malhi, Oxford professor of ecosystems, told international researchers.

Malhi was speaking at a three-day conference at Oxford titled "Climate Change, Deforestation and the Future of African Rainforests."

Africa's climate had been far more variable than the Amazon or Southeast Asia over the past 10,000 years, he said.

"In some senses, African forests have gone through a number of catastrophes in the past 4,000 to 2,000 years," Malhi told BBC News.

U.S. scientists say 2011 was the ninth-warmest year on record in 33 years of satellite measurements of temperature readings for almost all regions of Earth.

This was despite La Nina Pacific Ocean cooling events at the start and finish of the year, John Christy, director of the Earth System Science Center at the University of Alabama in Huntsville, said.

Globally averaged, Earth's atmosphere was 0.27 degree Fahrenheit warmer in 2011 than the 30-year average, Christy, a professor of atmospheric science, said in a UA release Thursday.

As part of an ongoing project among the university, NASA and the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration, Christy and his colleagues use data gathered by advanced microwave sounding units on NOAA and NASA satellites to get accurate temperature readings in almost all areas of Earth -- including remote d…

Martin Rees, Britain's Astronomer Royal and a former president of the Royal Society, who first met Hawking when they were both research students, marvelled at his longevity. He admitted that when they first met, "it was thought he might not live long enough to finish his PhD degree". His survival made him a "medical marvel", Rees said, but stressed that it was his work that would prove his lasting legacy.

British scientist Stephen Hawking has been forced to miss a scientific debate to mark his 70th birthday but sent an upbeat message saying he was living at a "glorious time".

As scientists and media gathered at Cambridge University on Sunday for a symposium to mark Hawking's birthday, vice-chancellor Professor Sir Leszek Borysiewic said: "Stephen has been unwell and was only discharged from hospital on Friday."

German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Nicolas Sarkozy meet today for the first time in 2012 as they seek to craft a master plan for rescuing the euro over the next three months.

The two leaders gather in Berlin to flesh out a new rulebook for fiscal discipline negotiated at a Dec. 9 summit that seeks to create a “fiscal compact” for the 17-member euro area. They meet at 11 a.m. local time at the Federal Chancellery and hold a joint press conference at about 1:30 p.m.

The German and French leaders have sponsored a plan to install new guidelines by March. A crisis that began in Greece more than two years ago has moved to the euro area’s core, and leaders are struggling to persuade investors they can contain the risk and assure the euro’s survival.

In order to extend business coverage, develop new business and stretch its presence in the north of China, DB Schenker recently established a new branch office in Hohhot, capital of the Inner Mongolian Autonomous Region.

Hohhot is the first branch Schenker China Ltd. has opened in Inner Mongolia province. It is the commercial, political, cultural and economic center of Inner Mongolia. Hohhot is not only an industrial city, but also a woolen textile industry center in China.

The most important industry is food industry.

The main products in Hohhot are medicine, wind power, coal, machine tools, and fiber optic cable.

These factors made Hohhot been rated as “TOP 10 most dynamic cities in China’s economic development”.

DB Schenker was one of the first international forwarders to enter Mainland China i…

Dubai-based operator signed three-year deal to run three Port of Nanaimo facilties

DP World Vancouver plans to ship containers from the Port of Nanaimo to mainland Canada after the terminal operator recently gained a three-year contract to run three facilities at the island port.

The Dubai-based company will operate the general cargo Duke Point facility and assembly wharf in the Port of Nanaimo, along with a newly built berth for cruise ships. The facilities are at Vancouver Island, across the Strait of Georgia from the City of Vancouver in British Columbia.

“The port wants to import and export a greater variety of commodities and our agreement with DP World with its extensive experience in both container and commodity handling allows us to explore new business opportunities and to reduce our reliance on a single market,” said Bernis Dumas, Nanaimo Port Authority pre…

U.S. officials will closely watch the Iranian president’s visit to Latin America this week, concerned that he is seeking to forge alliances amid growing international support for U.S.-led sanctions against Iran’s nuclear program.

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s visit to South and Central America comes amid increased tensions between the U.S. and Iran, which has carried out recent military drills in the Persian Gulf and threatened to blockade the Strait of Hormuz, through which one-sixth of the world’s oil is transported.

The U.S. sanctions aim to block Iran’s nuclear program, despite claims by the Islamic republic that its program is peaceful. The sanctions specifically authorize U.S. penalties against foreign firms doing business with the Iranian energy sector.